Fabricating for End Market Applications

Acrylic manufacturers and distributors occasionally get called upon to fabricate small acrylic pieces that are too small to be fabricated on their own machinery. Chelsea Plastics expertise in this area allows them to get the highest quality finish on very small parts. Whether it’s a high quality mitered seam box, a capped pin that is the size of a quarter or optically clear solid risers, they are constantly pushing the boundaries of fabrication.

Acrylic is a popular choice of material for eyeglass displays. Wall mounted racks with cutouts for the eyeglass arms are common types of displays in optical shops. For specialized counter top displays, their clients have made cylindrical-type stands. Custom micro acrylic pins made by Chelsea Plastics are used to provide the points of support for the nose bridge and arms of the eyeglass frames.

Small balls, cabochons and cubes are frequently used as legs, bases and caps for a variety of acrylic displays and furnishings. These pieces can be drilled, tapped, flattened and bonded to a variety of materials and surfaces.

Solid clear cubes are a popular choice for risers. Hand polishing takes away visible imperfections and helps remove their appearance from the display. Cubes can be made in a variety of thicknesses (up to 6” thick) and heights. Acrylic risers can also be notched and grooved to hold name and price tags or to provide a ridge to hold the display piece. Micro machining acrylic cubes is easy as long as the material is kept cool.

Acrylic is also a popular choice for jewelry display manufactures. Clear acrylic does not compete with the metal or bright colors of the jewelry. Black provides an excellent contrast for silver, gold and diamonds. Again, use of small acrylic dowels, pins and other clear pieces provide points to hang and spread out necklaces, rings, earrings and bracelets.

Not only do display manufacturers use acrylic in jewelry displays, some designers choose acrylic as an element of high-end jewelry itself. There are currently millions of different molded acrylic bracelets, necklaces, earrings and pendants available. Lately, the inherent properties acrylic are becoming popular with high-end designers that use custom clear or translucent shapes mixed with precious metal to achieve a unique timeless look. Precious metal appears very vibrant within clear, hand polished acrylic shapes. The ease in acrylic forming allows optically clear pieces to be manufactured in many intricate small and large shapes.

Because acrylic is one of the most convenient and cost effective materials to fabricate, assemblies are becoming more popular in a variety of display and furniture applications. Joining corners in acrylic can be done without hardware and made virtually seamless by mitering the joints. Mitered joints are very popular in high-end furniture or luxury displays made with translucent or opaque acrylic, as the seam appears to vanish within the joint.

Acrylic is a great material to consider when manufacturing for many industries – particularly the display industry. Chelsea has developed many proprietary techniques that allow them to achieve clearly beautiful results for their exclusively manufacturer and fabricator clients. Their expertise is in small parts, but many people find acrylic assemblies to be their bread and butter in the recovering economy.

Written by Ethan Steiner, Chelsea Plastics.

For more information, contact Ethan Steiner, Chelsea Plastics Corporation, 30-02 48th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101, 800-524-2435/212-924-4530, Fax: 212-924-3508, E-mail: info@chelseaplastics.com, Web: www.chelseaplastics.com.